Scottish Third Sector Fund Refresh 2025: What Grant Teams Need to Know

The Scottish Government has announced updates to the Third Sector Fund for 2025, including larger core grants and streamlined reporting. Here’s the detail for your grant plan.

TL;DR

Core grants now range £75k–£250k with multi-year awards up to three years.
Priority focus on community wealth building, Net Zero, and cost-of-living response.
Applications open 25 March 2025; align engagement with the co-design clinicsto strengthen proposals.

Key dates & eligibility

Application portal opens: 25 March 2025.
Deadline: 30 May 2025 (noon).
Eligibility: Scottish charities, CICs, and social enterprises with turnover £50k–£5m focusing on community wealth, Net Zero, or cost-of-living interventions.

What changed

According to the Scottish Government’s guidance, reporting is now biannual rather than quarterly, and grantees can pool up to 20% of awards for shared services. A resilience strand offers up to £100k for collaborations tackling systemic issues.

Next steps for grant teams

Update your funder scoring rubric to reflect the new criteria.
Prepare sustainability plans using the sustainability builder.
Schedule stakeholder clinics to capture community priorities before drafting.